1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for spooling linear material and, in particular, to a motorized reel having a motor controller for controlling the spooling of linear material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Linear material, such as water hoses, can be cumbersome and difficult to manage. Mechanical reels have been designed to help spool such linear material onto a drum-like apparatus. Some conventional reels are manually operated, requiring the user to physically rotate the reel, or drum, to spool the linear material. This can be tiresome and time-consuming for users, especially when the hose is of a substantial length. Other reels are motor-controlled, and can automatically wind up the linear material. These automatic reels often have a gear assembly wherein multiple revolutions of the motor cause a single revolution of the reel. For example, some conventional automatic reels have a 30:1 gear reduction, wherein 30 revolutions of the motor result in one revolution of the reel.
However, when a user attempts to pull out the linear material from the automatic reel, the user must pull against the increased resistance caused by the gear reduction because the motor spins 30 times for every full revolution of the reel. Not only does this place an extra physical burden on the user, but the linear material experiences additional strain as well. Some automatic reels include a clutch system, such as a neutral position clutch, that neutralizes (or de-clutches) the motor to enable the user to freely pull out the linear material. This often requires the user to be at the site of the reel to activate the clutch. In addition, clutch assemblies can be expensive and substantially increase the cost of automatic reels.
Conventional automatic reel motors also tend to rotate reels at a constant rate. As a result, when the reel reaches the end of the linear material, such rotation can cause the end of the linear material to swing uncontrollably or even hit forcefully against the reel unit. This erratic movement can result in property damage or serious injury to nearby persons who may be hit by the linear material. Oftentimes, the user must also push a button or activate a control to stop the automatic reel from rotating. To account for such problems, some automatic reels incorporate expensive encoders that keep track of the amount of linear material left to be spooled.